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Attention to Swiss finishing includes the volume knob with its fine diamond-grid texturing.


Before we put the lid back on, two final shots of the innards for some power-supply capacitance and filtering.



This being a modern 96kHz+ machine unlike Goldmund's Mimesis 16.5 digital processor on parallel loan for the ProLogos review, Windows users must install the Goldmund_ASIO64 1.0.57 driver available by inquiry and dispatched as a 1MB zip file via email. Unpacking of the code occurred without a hitch in my Win7/64 work computer. My iMac didn't need it of course. USB power is fully independent and isolated of the other digital and analog circuits so fancy USB cables with battery power feeds might be upstaged.


Signal lock is confirmed with the yellow LED beneath the plaque. The green leftie confirms power.


The twinned 6.3mm ports suggest low-impedance stability and plenty of current drive to handle two parallel loads. Global voltage happiness via the rear dial builds in a ±10% safety window to account for common line fluctuations. Unweighted dynamic range of better than 100dB tells its own suggestive tale. Weight is 12kg. The dimensions are 30x35x10cm WxDxH. The shorting plugs on the analog inputs should remain put for digital sources to avoid residual HF noise in some circumstances which would be due to the ultra-wide bandwidth nature of this circuit.


Warm-up time is given as 15 minutes until the amp reaches its optimal 55°C/131°F operating temp. Ground and earth signals are fully separated to cancel all ground loops. And that's all she said. In hoary Rolls-Royce tradition, the owner's manual skips over all power and related ratings as though to indicate that any such concerns are unnecessary and only for those shopping the—cough—lower ranges.

with HifiMan HE-6 and upgraded pads

The Telos Headphone Amplifier really remains utterly unfazed and beyond all mundane worries. Low gain was sufficient for the HifiMan HE-6 and my loudness tolerance. In hi-gain mode the ears of even the most fearless headbangers should clip with these most inefficient of all current production planars. And forget HE-6 brightness. There's none of it. The HDA walks the path of speed and body for everything. It's an equal opportunity employer. Due to its unconditional quietude, the opposition is thus likewise catered to. In short, this is an end-of-life amp. It's for all seasons and reasons.